Icemobile

Bundle Up, More Cold On Way

Tuesday's snow and sleet storm was expected to make for an icy rush hour this morning, but roads should be clearing up during the day, when temperatures are forecast to reach the mid-30s.

A blast of arctic air is expected to hit the area by Thursday, the first day of winter. Nighttime temperatures should plummet into the single digits by Friday night, according to the National Weather Service in Norfolk.

Daytime temperatures Friday and Saturday will be in the low to mid-20s, and northwest winds will be 15 to 25 mph, making for "a bitter cold weekend" said weather service forecaster Dewey Walston.

Single-digit temperatures on the Peninsula and north are also forecast for Saturday night and again on Christmas Eve, said Walston. "Santa better dress warmly, because it will be very cold," he said, although there is no snow in the forecast.

Westbound Interstate 64 between Tidewater Drive and 4th View Street in Norfolk was closed about 9:30 p.m. by the State Police because of icy conditions that contributed to numerous accidents. Sgt. L.W. Montgomery said at least 35 wrecks were reported Tuesday night.

Of more immediate concern for many officials was the snow, sleet, and rain that fell on the area Tuesday. The cold, wet, nasty weather started in the afternoon and continued into the evening. It led the City of Newport News to close offices at 3:30 p.m. The weather also forced the cancellation or postponement of a number of school holiday programs and PTA meetings.

As usual, though, the snow and slush meant overtime for street maintenance workers. "We've been at it since it started and we're probably going to be here all night," said Ivan D. Odom, operations superintendent for the street maintenance division in Newport News.

"The morning rush hour could be a little slick. But once the traffic gets on it and starts moving about it should start to melt and thaw up."

The key things to keep in mind on icy roads, said Sam Jones of Epps and Jones Driving School, is to reduce speed and increase following distance behind other cars, "and always remember that bridges ice over before roads do."

Numerous accidents were reported Tuesday night, although none were known to be serious.

School officials were waiting until the wee hours of today before deciding if any school closings would be necessary. Hampton schools spokesman Jerry Sandford said transport workers would be out checking roads in different sections of the city by 4 a.m. The same routine is followed by officials in other districts.

If conditions were bad enough to force a closing, the decision would be made by 5:30, Sandford said. That would leave time to notify radio and TV stations as well as employees, he said.

The snow and sleet in the Williamsburg area brought traffic to a crawl and prompted a host of minor car accidents, officials said.

Two cars collided on Monticello Avenue near Ironbound Road Tuesday afternoon, injuring six motorists, one of whom suffered a broken back, according to Williamsburg and James City County fire officials.

Frank N. Hall, resident engineer of the Virginia Department of Transportation, said all 24 trucks serving Williamsburg, James City and York counties were plowing streets and laying sand Tuesday night.

"People were driving about 35 miles per hour all along the interstate," Hall said. "I think that was good. They were much more cautious in this storm than they were in the last one."

Even so, State Police reported numerous cars trapped in ditches along the highway as they slid on the ice. Police said the accidents were minor and caused no injuries.

Northbound traffic on Route 17 was delayed as much as three hours Tuesday evening at the George P. Coleman Memorial Bridge connecting York and Gloucester counties because of icy conditions that had officials periodically closing the bridge.

School officials in Gloucester, Mathews, Middlesex and King William counties said they would make a decision early this morning on closing. King William students went home about 30 minutes early Tuesday because of the snow.

Roads were icy and slick Tuesday evening. A meeting of the Gloucester School Board scheduled for Tuesday night was postponed to 4:30 p.m. Thursday. A meeting of the Mathews School Board scheduled was postponed to 7:30 tonight.